UNGASS 10-year Review - TNI

On March 11-12, 2009, a High Level Segment of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) will be dedicated to the evaluation of the implementation of political declaration and action plans of the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) in 1998. The evaluation started in 2008 and will determine international drug policy for the next decade. What will be the key issues on the table? What kind of improvements in the functioning of the UN drug control system could be expected or aimed at? Is a reform of the UN Drug Conventions needed? This site will guide you through the process and provide critical background.

Latest articles

Coca Myths

The coca leaf has been used and misused for many ends, each of them suiting different interests and agendas. Even its very name has been appropriated by a soft drinks producer, which still has difficulties in admitting that the plant is used to produce its "black gold". Every day press accounts around the world use the word coca in their headlines, when they refer in fact to cocaine.

Download the full briefing: Coca Myths, Drugs & Conflict Debate Papers 17, June 2009

Go to the online summary

Call to Action: Support Global Drug Policy Reform

Call to Action
World Drug Day, 26 June 2009

As the United Nations launches the 2009 World Drug Report this week, more than 40 international groups and experts worldwide today issued a call to action that presses governments to adopt a humane approach to drug policy.

The call to action, signed by the Transnational Institute (TNI), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, former president of Brazil Fernando Cardoso, and others, urges governments to enact policies that are based on scientific and medical research rather than politics.

Download the Press release
Download the Call to Action: Support Global Drug Policy Reform

Tags: HIV/AIDS UNODC civil society conventions drug control harm reduction human rights world drug report

Horse trading at the UN

Tatyana Dmitrieva

Elections to Narcotics Control Board compromise its independence

NGOs in the drug policy field have criticised the outcome of the recent elections to the United Nation’s International Narcotic Control Board (INCB) because the process of trading votes between member states has led to the exclusion of some of the most highly qualified candidates, and the re-election of at least one candidate who does not fit the stated criteria, Tatyana Dmitrieva.

International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)
Press Release (PDF version)
May 19, 2009

Tags: HIV/AIDS INCB UN

FMPCDI Declaration at side event of UN meeting

The 2009 Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), and its High Level (political) Segment (HLS), was a key moment where the conclusions and recommendations resulting from the January Barcelona Forum could be transmitted and distributed. This was done to make more policy officials aware of the difficult situation faced by farmers cultivating the plants that have been declared illicit.

Dionisio Nuñez and Adbibe Abdelatif, representing respectively the Latin American and African continent, were delegated to go to Vienna and present the final declaration of the Barcelona Forum and to interact with policymakers present at this meeting. Read the report Two Barcelona Forum representatives read final Declaration at side event of UN meeting.